A Pennsylvania state lawmaker is under criminal investigation for claims he sexually assaulted a woman he encountered at a Harrisburg bar in 2015.

The Dauphin County District Attorney’s office is investigating the woman’s claims involving about Rep. Brian Ellis, 49, a Butler County Republican, sources have confirmed to PennLive. No charges have been filed in the case. District Attorney Fran Chardo would not confirm or deny the existence of the investigation or any details about it, as per his office’s policy.

Several sources said that the woman and Ellis were both at a downtown Harrisburg bar in October 2015, although it’s not clear if they were with the same group. At some point, sources have told PennLive, the woman took a hard fall.

“We want to make it very clear that she was not voluntarily intoxicated. This woman was incapacitated,” said the state’s Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm, who has been working with the woman. “She does believe that she was drugged and that she did seek medical attention the following day because she was in pain and she did indeed have a concussion and other injuries.”

Ellis, who apparently knew the woman at least as a workplace acquaintance at the Capitol, offered to help her get home, the sources said. PennLive is not identifying the woman in keeping with policy against naming victims of alleged sexual assaults without their consent.

The Philadelphia Inquirer first published an account of the allegations against Ellis Thursday afternoon.

Its report stated that Ellis allegedly took the woman to his Harrisburg residence, where the alleged assault occurred. The woman has stated that since she was incapacitated at the time, she was unable to give consent to any sexual acts, the Inquirer reported.

While the woman sought medical treatment the next day, it was not clear if there was any examination related to the alleged sexual assault completed at that time.

The incident is still well within the statute of limitations for prosecution of a sex crime.

Sources have told PennLive the woman felt emboldened to come forward with a complaint last year, after news reports broke about domestic violence and sexual assault allegations against another state lawmaker, Rep. Nicholas Miccarelli of Delaware County.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Ellis owns a property in Harrisburg, within easy distance of the Capitol.

The woman has been exploring her options for a long time, Storm said.

“As you can imagine, this is an incredibly scary and emotional experience and there are work factors at play... So I think she is an incredibly brave and courageous woman for wanting to come forward and wanting to protect other women in the Capitol building and wanting people to know who this guy really is,” Storm said.

Storm said she has spoken with House leadership about the woman’s claims and found them to be sensitive and supportive. But there is one step that they have yet to take that she is hoping to see happen.

“I would like to see Representative Ellis resign immediately because I don’t think he should be able to return to work. I don’t think he should be allowed to walk in that building," she said.

House GOP sources said they had not received a formal complaint about the incident and were, at this point, deferring to the criminal investigation.

On Thursday, House GOP leaders issued the following joint statement.

“The House Republican Caucus has zero tolerance for any instance of sexual violence or harassment.

“Our caucus has not been contacted by any law enforcement agencies regarding any new or ongoing investigations. If criminal charges related to sexual violence or harassment are filed against one of our members, we would expect an immediate resignation.

“Our caucus will fully cooperate with any law enforcement investigation, or request, and would take any allegation against one of our members with the utmost seriousness."

PennLive reached out to an attorney representing the woman this week. She declined to answer questions for this report.

No one answered the door at a Harrisburg residence Ellis owns on Monday, and efforts to reach him by telephone today were not immediately successful. But a source who knows Ellis and who is aware of the allegation said the lawmaker has adamantly denied the allegation to her.

A Harrisburg neighbor said he hadn’t seen anyone at the residence lately. Ellis was absent from the House session for Gov. Tom Wolf’s inauguration last week.

The Ellis investigation comes on the heels of a long public controversy over sexual assault and domestic violence accusations lodged against Miccarelli.

In that case, the House Republican caucus investigated a joint complaint filed against him by another GOP lawmaker, Rep. Tarah Toohil of Luzerne County, and a Harrisburg political consultant. That review found the women’s claims to be credible; however, no criminal charges resulted.

The political consultant requested Chardo’s office to end the investigation so she could move on with her life. Toohil obtained a three-year protection from abuse order against Miccarelli, barring him from having contact with her.

Sources told PennLive the Ellis case came to light in part because of the Miccarelli allegations. Ellis’ accuser, sources said, was first motivated to come forward in March after she saw allegations against another lawmaker being taken seriously.

It’s not clear, however, when the allegations against Ellis landed at Chardo’s office.

Most sources speaking to PennLive about the Ellis allegation and the investigation it has triggered did so only on a not-for-attribution basis; some because they are not authorized to speak publicly about what they know, and others because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Ellis was first elected to his House seat in 2004. He last stood for re-election last November and easily beat his independent opponent by capturing 76 percent of the vote.

He currently chairs the House Commerce Committee after having served in a lower-level caucus leadership post as caucus administrator for the 2015-16 session. If he is charged, Ellis would immediately lose his committee chairmanship but it would take an affirmative vote from the full House to expel him from office.

Among the bills on a myriad of topics he has championed in recent years was a consumer protection measure that would require government agencies that experience a data breach to notify affected people as soon as possible, along with the state attorney general’s office. The bill passed the House but died due to inaction in the Senate.

In 2016, he authored controversial legislation that sought to begin to encourage privately operated recreational and hospitality development in state parks through a pilot program. The idea of adding hotels and water parks to state parks was shot down by the House after conservationists and environmentalists protested that such developments would destroy the parks’ pristine nature.

Before joining the state House, Ellis worked with his family to build a network of western Pennsylvania auto dealerships, Ellis Auto Group. According to his House biography, he is married and the father of two sons.

(Staff writer Christine Vendel assisted with this story.)

*This story has been updated to include a statement from the state’s Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.